Founded in 1974, RAMS, Inc. is a private, non-profit mental health agency that is committed to advocating for and providing community based, culturally-competent, and consumer-guided comprehensive services, with an emphasis on serving Asian & Pacific Islander Americans. RAMS is committed to reflecting the multicultural & multilingual diversity of our community.

Pages

Friday, September 26, 2014

RAMS participated, as a primary discussant, in the invitational roundtable discussion & webinar event on, “Practice-Based Research and Implementation: Developing a Framework for Collaboration to Reduce Mental Health Disparities” on September 25, 2014. The Office for Research on Disparities and Global Mental Health of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Office of Behavioral Health Equity in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) were the hosts and sponsoring entities for this webinar event & discussion.

The objective of this webinar was to enhance understanding of the development of behavioral health services collaboration approaches that accelerate the dissemination of research-based mental health treatments into communities. There was a focus on the importance of utilizing practice based data to identify trends in mental health care disparities for members of the racial and ethnic minority groups and rural populations as collaborations are developed. The event was an opportunity to learn from researchers, practitioners, community providers and leaders on how best to develop research-practice partnerships to increase access to and the availability of culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services. The conversations was to set the stage for thinking about ways to align efforts underway in NIMH and SAMHSA to address disparities in mental health outcomes across diverse populations.

In an effort to generate conversations that will lead to an action plan, RAMS was invited to share our experiences, ideas, and solutions on implementing mental health services & treatment that have helped to reduce mental health disparities, challenges faced in implementing mental health services & treatment to reducing mental health disparities, and ways that those challenges could become opportunities to address mental health disparities.

RAMS is grateful for the generous invitation to present and have the opportunity to share what we have done and are working on with the wider healthcare audience & community-at-large.

Check out SAMHSA's 2015-2018 Strategic Plan, a new strategic plan outlining six Strategic Initiatives focused on leading change to better meet the behavioral health care needs of individuals, communities, and service providers. The document in its entirety can be downloaded HERE.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

The UCSF Depression Center and its Community Advisory Board (of which RAMS is a member), the UCSF Department of Psychiatry, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will present "Depression: Pathways to Resilience and Recovery," a day-long event looking at the diagnosis, treatment, and impact of depression this Saturday (September 13) at UCSF's Cole Hall.

The symposium will feature a multitude of workshops on topics such as advances in treatment, depression’s impact on relationships, online tools for assessment and treatment, suicide prevention, and strategies for self-care and supporting loved ones. The event will also feature presentations by California Highway Patrol officer and "Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge" Sgt. Kevin Briggs, suicide attempt survivor Kevin Berthia, and director/writer/producer David Zucker.

"Depression: Pathways to Resilience and Recovery" is free and open to the public, but advance registration is requested. To find out more program details, download the flyer, and register now, visit psych.ucsf.edu/depression2014.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN MENTAL HEALTH DAY

Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc. (RAMS) honors “Asian Pacific American Mental Health Day” on May 10th which was first established in 2010, as declared by the State of California and the City & County of San Francisco, recognizing the importance of raising awareness about mental health in the Asian Pacific American community. The establishment of Asian Pacific American Mental Health Day was an effort spearheaded by RAMS and overwhelmingly supported by many major associations and community coalitions. “Since May is already established nationally as the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, instituting this day in May more closely aligns both awareness efforts,” says Kavoos G. Bassiri, President & CEO of RAMS, Inc. Click http://ramsinc.blogspot.com/2010/05/happy-asian-pacific-american-mental.html to read about the establishment of the Asian Pacific American Mental Health Day.

2015 APA Mental Health Day

Celebrating Mental Wellness on Mother's Day for the whole family at a Wellness Fair co-hosted with the Richmond District Neighborhood Center

2014 APA Mental Health Day

RAMS staff outreach to older adults at Self-Help For The Elderly

2013 APA Mental Health Day

RAMS and other providers speak at a press conference to discuss the issues of detecting and addressing mental health concerns in primary care & non-mental health care settings

2012: APA Mental Health Day Press Conference

RAMS partnered with NAAPIMHA and interTrend Communications to launch "Friends Do Make A Difference" campaign among high school students in San Francisco

2011: Knowing Our Roots and Growing Beyond

RAMS presented a one-day seminar on May 10, 2011, in honor of Asian Pacific American Mental Health Day

2010: RAMS Raffle & Summer Scooter Sweepstakes!

Subscribe

What We Do

Our agency offers comprehensive services that aim to meet the behavioral health, social, vocational, and educational needs of the diverse community of the San Francisco Area, with special focus on the Asian & Pacific Islander American and Russian-speaking populations.

In addition, RAMS provides outreach and preventative services at many community locations, such as schools, childcare centers, social service agencies, and churches. We also provide clinical training and internships in all mental health disciplines. Services are available in English, Asian & Pacific Islander, Russian, and Spanish languages.